Director of Engineering

The Director owns the full engineering organization and the business functions that surround it, from design and test through manufacturing engineering, sustainment of aging product lines, and the technical side of new business capture. Direct sustainment of legacy and obsolete product lines — redesign, component obsolescence resolution, and requalification where original design data is incomplete.

Eleven Recruiting is searching for a Director of Engineering on behalf of a well-established aerospace and defense manufacturer in Southern California. The site supports a diversified portfolio of licensed and legacy products across commercial, military, and rotorcraft platforms — RF and microwave assemblies, avionics, communications and radar hardware, electronics, and electro-mechanical systems.
This is the senior technical seat on site. The Director owns the full engineering organization and the business functions that surround it, from design and test through manufacturing engineering, sustainment of aging product lines, and the technical side of new business capture. It suits an engineering leader who is still technically credible in RF/microwave design but has spent the last decade running organizations rather than programs.
  Responsibilities:

• Own technical direction across design, test, and manufacturing engineering for a multi-product portfolio.
• Lead a large, functionally segmented organization through subordinate managers; set structure, staffing, and development plans across disciplines.
• Direct sustainment of legacy and obsolete product lines — redesign, component obsolescence resolution, and requalification where original design data is incomplete.
• Interface with licensors and design authorities to establish and maintain design authority; support license and product transition activity.
• Own the technical content of proposal and quoting activity, including estimating rigor and feasibility assessment on RFP/RFQ response.
• Partner with program management and supply chain on cost, schedule, and material strategy across the portfolio.
• Oversee configuration management, document control, build instruction development, tooling, and test fixture definition.
• Provide RCCA and technical disposition for field returns, in-service issues, production escapes, and MRB.
• Chair the Change Control Board as engineering authority.
• Serve as the primary technical interface to customers, suppliers, and subcontractors.
• Support FAA PMA approvals, audit activity, and continued airworthiness across the site's product scope.
• Ensure subcontracted engineering meets regulatory and company requirements.

Qualifications:Required

• B.S. in Electrical, Systems, or Aerospace Engineering.
• Hands-on microwave/RF design background — this is a technical leadership role, not an administrative one.
• 10+ years in aerospace or defense engineering; 5+ years leading engineering teams through managers.
• Demonstrated ownership of a multi-disciplinary engineering organization spanning design, test, and manufacturing engineering.
• Experience carrying responsibility beyond pure engineering — program execution, supply chain interface, or proposal/estimating ownership.
• Configuration and project management depth.
• Strong communicator; comfortable as the technical face to customers and licensors.

Preferred

• M.S. in Engineering and/or MBA.
• FAA PMA experience.
• Licensed manufacturing, MRO, or inherited/legacy product line environments.
• Obsolescence management and end-of-life electronics redesign.
• Comfort owning design authority where full technical pedigree is unavailable.
• AS9100, FAA Part 145, and civil/military airworthiness familiarity.
• Experience with Type Certificate holders and design authorities.

Salary: $200,000 - $225,000

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